Scripps Health will break ground today on a $44 million cancer treatment center in La Jolla. Scripps officials say when the new center opens sometime next year, it will be equipped with the latest generation of radiation technology.
Doctors say conventional radiation therapy is effective, but it can cause a variety of painful side effects.
Dr. Ray Lin is a radiation oncologist at Scripps Green Hospital. He said their new treatment center will use machines that provide more precise targeting of cancerous tumors.
"If you have a tumor near a critical structure," Dr. Lin said, "such as in the brain or in the spine, or in the lung, you can deliver focused, precise beams of radiation to these targets, while minimizing damage to surrounding normal tissues."
Lin said the new technology allows for higher doses of more precise radiation. He says that should help reduce side effects. But Lin concedes it's unknown whether the new machines will help to deliver better outcomes for cancer patients.